It was typical for Jake to head over to Hell & High Water after the end of a shift, especially if he had a couple days off. It meant that he could properly unwind with a few drinks, and not worry about being unable to drink while on call. He was off the clock for a few days, so he decided to order himself a whiskey sour, and found himself a seat at the end of the bar. He had been quiet for the most part, exhausted from a day of surgeries as he swirled his drink in his hand. The group of drunk guys making inappropriate comments on the other side of the bar had caught his attention, and as irritated as he was about their behaviour, he did not engage. It really wasn't worth it. But nevertheless, he smiled at the other when she made her way over to his side of the bar. "No, I don't mind at all. Please..." He motioned towards the empty barstool next to him.

closed starter for @jacobhartland

Esme was at Hell & High Water, winding down after a stressful day. She really wasn’t in the mood for the group of drunk guys who were sitting a little to her ride, not so quietly making comments about her. Tossing back the rest of her drink, she turns towards them, flipping them off. “Take a picture, assholes. It’ll last longer.” She says, taking her newly refilled glass to the other side of the bar. “You mind if I join you? Those guys over there are being assholes and I just want to drink in peace.”

"Oh yes, so many people have tried to replicate that piece with different faces, and different colour combinations. It's really interesting to see how much variety a single work of art could inspire. It's truly fascinating." Jacob admitted, clearly unable to hide the fact that he could talk about his knowledge of art for hours. It was not something that most people expected when speaking to a cardiothoracic surgeon turned medical researcher. But it sure was his favourite party trick. "It's... not as much as it's hyped up to be, if I'm being honest. Most people think of the Marilyn Diptych as a panel of four paints of her face with different colour combinations, right? But the real thing is actually the one colour combination... the pink, and yellow one. And it's also, in the black, and white. And instead of four frames, it's like fifty frames. Half of it in colour, and the other in a greyscale." He explained with a shrug of his shoulders. "Not my favourite, if I'm being honest." A soft chuckle escaped the surgeon's lips upon hearing the other's question. "No, we don't. I'd never heard of Campbell's until I saw that painting. We actually have Heinz tomato soup, and Heinz baked beans... of course. Heinz is a much bigger brand in the UK than it is here in America, and I've only ever seen Heinz being known for it's tomato ketchup here."

Daniel nodded, not even letting it be known he didn't know that was what it was called. "It really is. Plus I know a lot of people have imitated it and put their own spin on it. I guess it just goes to show people like seeing what color combinations work best together." He was relieved that Jacob agreed with him. "That's pretty cool that you got to see it in person! Did it look anything different from the print that's pretty much anywhere?" Daniel asked curious. Sometimes he liked looking at the brush strokes and trying to imagine what was going on in the artist's mind. "Wait you're telling me that they don't have Campbell's soup in England?"

Jacob could not help the chuckle that escaped his lips upon hearing the other's words, and he nodded in agreement. "That's such a wise way to look at life. What are you? A philosopher of some sort?" He asked, curiously, as his brows furrowed. He had known them for merely a few minutes, and their conversation had already managed to enlighten him in a way. "I might be a little biased, but I think I have a right to be. My mother's an artist, and my favourite piece of art... it has to be one of her pieces. She painted a portrait of me for my sixteenth birthday, and it's currently hanging in my home office back in London. It's quite... close to my heart."

"Your mother was right." Kai agrees, nodding. "I think so. There's always something to learn, whether it's about art or life or anything, really. Just as long as you keep an open mind." Anything was possible with an open mind, they had come to learn. Some of life's best lessons came when you were least expecting them. "Do you have a favorite piece of art? In general, not just in the gallery today."

"Oh... you did? What for?" There was a rather curious expression that found itself upon Jacob's features, his brows furrowed slightly in wonder as to why the other might have considered visiting his country. From his understanding, most Americans did not seem all that fond of travelling to the UK. At least, a majority of his American friends had told him that they had found the UK to be overhyped, and fairly disappointing somehows. He wanted to know if that opinion was universal. But of course, Jake wouldn't know; he loved his home now matter what. "A must try... but also a whole lot of disappointment afterwards?" He remarked, a soft chuckle bubbling out of his lips. "At least, that's what most of my American friends have told me." Hearing the other describe his experience being served baked beans, he could not help but let out a rather hearty laugh at the thought. "I don't think baked beans should be the considered the weirdest part of an full English, if I'm being honest. We do have black pudding. Are you Americans fazed by that at all, or is it just the beans?" Truth be told, if he could list off all of the things he found concerning about the standard American diet, he would go on forever. As a cardiothoracic surgeon, he had seen firsthand what the implications of what might happen when you consume the ultra-processed high fat foods that he often found in the grocery store. "As much as I distaste cheese in a can... and believe me, I do. The people who eat those things keep me in business, so I guess I shouldn't judge." He just shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, and what age do you consider underage in America? Because that doesn't seem completely strange to me. In the UK, the legal age to drink is eighteen. But most of us have had our first taste of alcohol by the time we're sixteen. I think that's a case in most European teenagers." He explained, another laugh escaping his lips before he shook his head in response to the other's question. "No, I haven't had the chance to travel much since I moved to America. I've been to New York, and California for some conferences. But other than that, I haven't really been anywhere. I should definitely get around to it though." But with his work schedule, and how his research seems to be progressing, traveling for leisure was not going to happen anytime soon for Jake. "Yeah, she's an artist. Celia Kensington-Hartland? Oh no, mate. None of this is hers... and now that I think of it, I might actually get her to have her next exhibit here. She has been telling me how much she's been missing me, and this could be nice. But I'm not sure if she would be cool with coming out here though. We'll see... besides, I don't know if her work is all that popular here in America. She's got a couple pieces hanging in the National Gallery, and the Tate back home."

“I spent a couple of weeks in England a few years ago.” He told the other, confirming how he knew. “London is kind of a must for any travelling American,” Ace joked, thinking back fondly. It had been a great experience and he’d met some pretty cool people, but parts of it had also been rougher than he’d expected. “Oh, yeah! You guys are obsessed with them, huh? Definitely not something I expected on my plate when I ordered breakfast. Weird experience. But hey, who are we to judge? We literally have cheese in a can.” He wasn’t a fan, personally. While he definitely didn’t have high standards for his food, something about that just made him want to gag. Trailing his gaze away from the next painting, he looked towards Jacob and wore a light expression. He’d long ago learned to conceal his negative emotions about his mother while mentioning her. “Yeah, you’d think but being underage in Vegas just means spending a lot of time in a hotel room staring at four walls. Though it is where I had my first taste of alcohol, so regardless it remains one of my favourite places. Have you ever been?” The mention of Jacob’s mother taking inspiration from Edward Hopper captured Ace’s full attention, and he turned fully to face the other male, smile wide. “Your moms an artist? I’d love to see her stuff. I bet it’s miles better than half of what’s in here. Unless her stuff is in here— is it?” Maybe he’d even heard of her.

Jacob had been having a much slower day than usual, mostly because he had scheduled no surgeries that day. While he certainly enjoyed the adrenaline rush that came with operating, sometimes performing multiple procedures in one day, it was safe to say that he also enjoyed the calm, and the quiet that came with working on his research. Spending a typical twelve hour shift in his lab instead of the OR was something that he definitely needed, especially considering that a handful of his team had gone away for a conference, leaving him to handle most of the experiments.

Thankfully, all of his experiments had gone according to plan, and he had found himself with more than a few minutes to spare by the time he realized that he needed to take a break. So, he stepped out of his lab for the first time in a few hours, and headed straight for the cafeteria so that he could grab himself a well-deserved cup of coffee. Rolling his shoulders as he waited for his order, he glanced around the cafeteria for a moment before his eyes landed on the nurse. He returned his smile as he picked up his order, and made his way towards the table where Owen was currently seated. "Hello, mate." He offered him a quick wave.

Closed | @jacobhartland Hospital Cafeteria

Over the last few days, Owen had been trying to pick up as many shifts as he could, even the much longer ones. Which is exactly how he found himself in the middle of a twelve hour shift. The ER had been hectic, it seemed like person after person was coming in. Ranging from smaller emergencies to much bigger ones. But like always, Owen took it in stride. Being an ER nurse was something he loved doing and he was forever grateful that he had been able to land his dream job. The hours blurred together after a while and finally, there was a lull in patients that were coming in. Taking the opportunity, he clocked out for a break- in desperate need of coffee. It was really the one thing that kept him going through the nights.

He made his way into the cafeteria, grabbing the biggest coffee he could get his hands on, and a bag of chips. Granted, not the most sustainable food to get him through the next few hours but he had reached that point of his shift where he was more than willing to eat anything he could get his hands on. Owen plopped down at one of the tables, going between looking around- seeing who else was in here, scrolling on his phone, and sipping on his coffee. As he looked up once more, Owen saw a the familiar face of Jake, and gave him a wave in greeting.

Jacob returned her smile as he turned back to glance at the hospital, though he quickly turned to let his gaze meet hers again. He could not imagine having to spend so much time at the hospital as a kid. As a cardiothoracic surgeon who worked primarily with infants, and young children who were diagnosed with congenital heart defects, he understood the kind of treatments, and the length of hospital stays that these children had to face. Knowing that Carleigha was one of those kids, it made him feel a lot more respect towards her. But he was also aware that she did not like speaking about her condition all that much, so he decided to keep those feelings to himself. "After working in the Colorado winter for four years, even I've been thinking about retiring to someone warm, and sunny... maybe a tropical island of some sorts, I don't know. But it's really sweet that you had something to talk about." He agreed, his smile not fading from his lips as he helped himself to a bite of the cake, which was followed by a groan. "Okay, I don't know what's in that cake, but it's so fucking delicious!" He exclaimed once he swallowed his bite. "There's no way I can sit around, and wait until you've managed to cook me something. Let's just head to the diner." He agreed, motioning her towards his Bentley that was parked a few paces from them.

Carleigha smiled softly as she looked back to the hospital. She'd hated the place in a way growing up. Each time she'd had to come back. The time she'd spent at the children's ward. She'd been isolated from other kids in her class. She'd made friends of course, between the nurses and the other children on the ward. She'd been so thankful to get away after her surgery, thankful to find freedom but those she met stayed with her. Her head tilted back to him and she smiled handing the fork over to him so he can grab a bite. "I got to snatch one of the palm trees. She always mentioned how she'd wanted to retire somewhere warm and sunny. We probably talked about it any time I was on the ward, she helped me build my travel list. I'm so glad she's finally getting to do it." She shakes her head faintly. "Well that wont do," she motions toward the cars. "Either I'm going to make you dinner or we're going to the diner. Your pick."

"Me? Hurt that you're not out with me?" Jacob could not help but snort in response to the other's question. "Oh please... I'm not hurt that you're not out with me, love. I'm just concerned that you seem to be wasting your time trying to get with other people. They clearly don't seem worth it if they're standing you up like this. You know, if I were in their shoes, I would never do such a thing." He shot her a wink as he took a seat across from her, unable to hold himself back from flirting with the other. Just because they were not in the club, it did not mean that he could not use his charm.

"Aw, are your feelings hurt that I'm not out with you?" Norah asks, pouting slightly. Normally when she saw Jacob she was wearing far less and it wasn't the middle of the day, but hey, she had a life outside the club too. "If you insist. Please, sit."

Despite the long, crazy, and unpredictable hours he worked at the hospital, Jacob had made it a habit to keep up with the gym. Being a heart surgeon who often got to bear witness to the consequences of not maintaining a healthy diet, or adequate physical exercise, he strived to be better even in spite of the stress that was caused by his clinical trials. He was trying his best, and thankfully, Swolemates had become his happy place.

He had just wrapped up with his workout routine when he noticed the rather familiar face, and a cheeky smile found its place upon his lips as he made his way over to the pediatrician. "Hello, love. Has it really been that long?" He could not help but tease her. "But I guess when you're not at work for one day, it really does seem like a long time, doesn't it?"

@chqstarter 

Location: Swolemates

Open:

Sawyer was always trying to better herself in different ways, she knew that exercise was important so she tried to better her health so she found herself in Swolemates, a place she tried to familiarize herself with. 

She didn’t like the equipment, but she did what she had to do until she saw a familiar face, a smile came across her face.

“Hey, how are you? It’s been a long time.” She was now motivated.

Jacob could not help but feel rather amused by amused by what he was hearing, a soft chuckle bubbling out of his lips as he stood by the counter, and listening to Elsa take her call. "Wow..." He shook his head, shaking his head as he laughed once she hung up the phone. "Out of curiosity, do you often get calls like this? I have a feeling that you get this a lot more often than one might expect, love." A cheeky smile found its place upon his lips, and he shrugged in response to her question. "Just the usual deep tissue massage, love. It's been a long week at the hospital, and I'm planning to make the most out of my day off."

Starter: open (@chqstarters)

Location: Body and Soul Salon

Phone held to her ear Elsa closed her eyes in frustration as she spoke to the customer on the line. "No Sir, as I have already explained we do not offer those sort of massage services.....now there's no need to speak to me like that.....have a wonderful day too." Elsa laughed through gritted teeth before she put the phone firmly down simultaneously asking the person before her, "How can I help?"

Jacob could not help the soft chuckle that bubbled out of his lips, and he shook his head before wrapping his arm protectively around Micah's shoulder. "You can think that I hate you all you want, mate. But you've got to at least give me some credit for bringing you to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, rather than a nightclub, or something like that. At least, I wasn't cruel enough to do that." He could not help but tease him, though he understood why Micah seemed so twitchy. "It's a public place, Micah. It's a place for everyone to come to learn about cool things. No one's going to judge you for being curious, and or wanting to learn. You can be as knowledgeable, or as clueless as you want here." Jake offered him a reassuring smile as he stood behind him, and glanced at the placard. "Just relax, mate. No one's watching you... except me, I'll keep a close eye on you. You won't get lost, I promise."

Closed starter for @jacobhartland

"I think you hate me," Micah whispered, but at least in a museum it felt like the right thing to do, "Like...for real for real." Being in a quieter space wasn't the issue, nor was the actual museum, but for some reason, Micah felt twitchy. It was almost too quiet, it felt like people were looking at him, and he was following Jacob around like a lost puppy. Which only served to make him look more foolish. He kept his hands in his pockets to keep from twiddling his fingers as he read over the various placards and exhibits, but then he wondered if that made him look suspicious. "I'm out of place here."

"Yes, that's the one. It's called the Marilyn Diptych. I think a lot of people know it as the four pictures, but the original piece consists of fifty. It's currently being held at the Tate, which is a network of art galleries in the UK. A lot of my mother's works are also being held by the Tate, a little fun fact for you." Jake could not help the grin that crept upon his lips when he spoke about his mother, and all that she had achieved as an artist after her first husband (Jake's biological father) had left her. He would always let her know that he was so proud of her. "No, it's not bad. But pop art is not my favourite style of painting. I'm more of a contemporary kind of guy." He admitted, a soft chuckle bubbling out of his lips as he spoke. "Yeah, whatever helps, right?" Jake was certainly glad that there was someone who understood his need to cope with the horrors of being a surgeon through his appreciation of art. "She paints, mostly. She completed her Fine Arts degree at the University of Oxford, and mostly did portrait commissions during her first few years out of school. But now she's a nationally renowned artist with exhibits all over the world. She also teaches, occasionally. But I've been trying to get her to retire."

Amelia listened with interest, glancing back to the piece occasionally as he spoke. "Oh I remember seeing the Marilyn Monroe one, it's the four different pictures right?" She tipped her head and studied it for a moment, "I mean I do like it, it doesn't look as....intimidating as some other pieces." Smiling brightly back at the man she had finally placed as a doctor from the hospital, Amelia shrugged, "You don't have to explain why you are interested in something. Goodness knows, with the work we do we all need some sort of distraction from thinking about everything. Does your mother paint or is she more into sculpture?"

As Jacob was on call that afternoon, he figured that he would head over to Swolemates to get a work out in. He was not required to be at the hospital unless there was an actual emergency, and being cooped up in his penthouse was not he wanted to spend the day either. There was nothing much to do except binge-watch a show on his streaming service. But he figured that his eyesight deserved better. Besides, a workout never hurt anyone. He had parked outside of the fitness studio, and made his way inside just as his phone buzzed with a text message. Stopping by the check-in desk as he fumbled with his phone to respond to the message, he looked up to meet the other's gaze. "Sorry, love. I was just responding to a message from work. Are you alright?"

Location: Swolemates

@chqstarter (everybody)

Val had about twenty minutes before her next client showed up. In the meantime, she decided to just chill by the check-in desk with resting her eyes. "Welcome to Swolemates," She said feeling someone staring "I'm not sleeping I'm just gathering the little thoughts I have left."

With two back to back surgeries being scheduled for the day, Jacob had spent the vast majority of his twelve-hour shift standing in the operating room. By the time he had stepped out of the hospital at the end of the day, he had not been all that exhausted by a hard day's work. But instead, he was still riding out the high of the adrenaline rush that came with performing such high risk surgical procedures. The surgeon had found himself at the bar in hopes of unwinding from the day, having ordered himself a whiskey sour as he slipped into a barstool. There was a soft chuckle that bubbled out of his lips upon hearing the other's distaste for her drink, and he could not help but turn to meet her gaze, a cheeky smile finding its place upon his lips. "You don't like the taste of alcohol? Then what is your typical drink order anyways?"

@chqstarter

Going to the bar after studying all day was something that Fletcher did to unwind. She wasn't a big drinker, certainly not a fan of the taste of it. She took a sip from her drink and set it down. "Ugh, that is the ickiest thing that I have tasted in my life," she announced with a bit of a pout as she pushed the glass away from herself. "I asked for something that didn't taste like alcohol, but I guess the bartender didn't hear me. Or didn't pay attention. You can so totally taste it!"

"Yeah, and that's the exact same excuse I use whenever someone accuses me of working too much. Don't try to use it on me, love. I'm immune to it." He could not help but continue with his teasing, a hearty laugh bubbling out of his lips as he shook his head. "The accusations are true though, are they not?" It was true, and he knew it. They both worked too much, and that was a problem. But then again, that's exactly why the two of them had managed to maintain this friendship of theirs. They were oth so busy, and understood each other's need to work that they did not hold it against each other when plans were postponed, or cancelled. Jake was grateful to have someone like that in his life. "It's only a flaw if we're meant to be working on it. But since we're not going to be working on it, I wouldn't consider it a flaw at all. We're just being our true selves, and our true selves are absolute workaholics. There's no other explanation to that."

"I work an appropriate amount for somebody in my situation!" There was nobody at home waiting for her. She didn't think there was anything wrong with doing her own thing and her own thing was work. She shrugged. "The accusations are rude!" she insisted before shaking her head. "Maybe you're right though. We work too much. It's a flaw and I'm not working on it."

There was a soft chuckle that escaped his lips upon hearing the older woman's words, and he shook his head. "I've slept." Jacob replied as he picked up the extra large cup of coffee that sat next to his keyboard, taking a rather generous sip from it before he looked back up at her. His caffeine intake, and his bloodshot eyes probably gave it away that he had not managed to get enough sleep. "Fine, I squeezed in a fifteen-minute power nap in-between my surgeries this afternoon. I'm currently working a double shift, and I still have a few hours to go. Don't worry, Mel. I'm going to go home after my shift ends at 22:00, and then I'll get my well-deserved rest. But right now, I have patients who need me to fix their broken hearts. Sleep can take a backseat, you know?"

On slower days, when Aurora had practice and she didn't need to be home to cook dinner, Melissa found herself making her way up to the ER to check on things. She couldn't deny that she missed it some days. Everything was hustle and bustle. Back when she worked in the ER, it kept her focused. When she was working a double in the thick of it all her mind didn't have to stray to whatever danger her husband could be in a world away. Part of her wondered if she wanted to go back to it. Though the other part wondered knew that if she left herself get lost in her work again, would she really be finding herself. Her head tilted watching Jacob, another who had a habit of getting absorbed in their work. Her eyebrow raised at his words. "I'm not hovering. Though I am questioning when you last slept"

Hearing the other speak about his mother caused Jacob to raise his eyebrow ever so slightly as he turned his gaze to face him. "Oh really? My mother is also a big fan of Andy Warhol's, but I think she might be biased. She actually got to meet him when she was studying art at Oxford University." He remarked, a soft chuckle bubbling out of his lips as he spoke. "Being here, and seeing this exhibit... it really makes me miss my mum. I haven't seen her in about two years now."

Even tho he really couldn't call himself lover of the art, he did like to go there. It would help him to sort out himself and see something new. His mother was always telling him that he should be more artistic - he did become tattoo artist, after all. Maybe his mother just didn't have appreciation for tattoos in general. He couldn't say he wasn't a bit disappointed by that. After all, it was his choice and nobody else's.

"My mother is a big fan of Andy Warhol, so I would say it kind of looks like his piece."

"You know, I wouldn't touch any of these items with my bare hands if I were you... considering the fact that they might not have been cleaned since they've last been used." Jacob winced at the thought of these garments being the breeding grounds for bacteria, and he took another step away from the rack as he held his hands up. "Poppy, you know I'm the last person on earth who understands anything about clothing, let alone second-hand clothing. Why does it mater what I think anyways? If you like it, then you should get it. But make sure you thoroughly disinfect it first before you even consider trying it on."

where : finders keepers who : open to anyone (feel free to assume connections or dm me)

"I know these clothes are labeled as 'gently used' but I can never get over the fact that they've probably not been cleaned since they've last been used," Poppy laughs as she shifts through a few vests and tops on the clothing rack. "But anyways, thoughts on this piece? It's not very mainstream but I think it's got a lot of charm!"